Pen or pencil attachment



May 29, 1923. v 1,456,786

F. DE LUCA PEN OR PENCIL ATTACHMENT original Filed April 11, 1921 Frank fle/ Lzw'a/ Q I v Patented May 29, 1923..

, FRANK DE LUCA, 0F BOWDENS, NORTH CAROLINA.

PEN OR PENCIL ATTACHMENT.

. Application filed April 11, 1921, Serial No. 460,266. Renewed March 22, 1923.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, FRANK DE LUCA, a subject of the King of Italy, residin at Bowdens, in the county of Duplin and tate of North Carolina, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Perl. or Pencil Attachments, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in pen or pencil attachments, and is particularly designed to provide an extremely simple but practical attachment for pens or pencils, in the nature of a clip With a retractable blade capable of many uses such as pencil sharpening, erasing, envelope opening or the like.

One object of the invention is to attach a blade to a pen or pencil so as to enable a. person to move the blade from an ,inoperative to an operative position or vice versa at will, improved means being provided to releasably retain the blade in either its extended or retracted positions, which retaining means may be readily operated without the requirement of particular skill.

Another object of the invention is to adapt the attachment for use in connection with substantially the common form of clips which are now in use for retaining a pencil or en in the pocket of a persons clothing.

ther objects will appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, and the same consists in the novel form, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, shown in the accompanying drawing and claimed.

In the drawing, wherein like reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views,

Figure 1 is a plan view of an attachment embodying the present invention shown 0peratively dis osed upon a pencil which is shown partially broken away,

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the attachment shown in Fig. 1,

Figure 3 is an end elevational view of the device shown in Fig. 2 looking toward the right of the latter figure,

Figure 4 is a view partly in side elevation and partly in lon itudinal section of the device shown in Fig. 2 and with the blade shown by dotted lines in retracted position,

Figure 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken upon line VV of Figure 6 s an enlarged new of a portion of the device shown in Fig. 4 to more clearly illustrate details of construction, and

igure 7 is a view similar to Fig. 6 of a modified form of the invention. Referring more in detail to the several news, an attachment to a pen, apencil 5 "bein shown herein forthesake of illustration. 1% resilient sheet metal clip or clasp 6 is provided on the shank f the pencil 5 and may be provided with the usual tongue 7 with a ball or other engaging member 8 upon its free end adapted to engage the clothing in the usual manner for retaining the pencil 5 in a pocket of said clothing. However, it is to be understood that the invention is not restricted for use in connection with clips having means for retaining a pencil in a persons pocket although the use of the clip in connection with the tongue 7 for supporting a blade 9 upon a pencil and for retaining the same in a persons pocket is preferable.

The blade 9 has a transverse pin 10 rigidly fastened thereto and this pin projects outwardly through a longitudinal slot 11 of the cltip26, whichslot is enlarged at its ends as a Y The central portion of the clip 6 is outwardly ofl'set at opposite sides as at 13 to form opposed channel-shaped guideways for reception of the longitudinal edge portions of the blade 9 whereby the blade is slidably guided for longitudinal movement relative to and within the clip 6. In the preferred embodiment of the invention a hollow push button 14 is slidably disposed on the project'- ing end of the pin 10 and normally rests upon the free end of a spring 15 whereby the enlarged portion 16. of the push button is normally forced outwardly into an enlarge ment 12 of the slot 11 for preventing accidental movement of the blade either from its extended position or from its retracted position. The push button 14 is rovided with a reduced portion 17 outward y of the portion 16 which is of a diameter slightly less than the width of the main portion of the slide 11 so that when the push button is pressed inwardly as shown by dotted lines in ig. 6, the blade may be retracted or if the blade has already been retracted, such release of the push button may be had for permitting the blade to be extended. The spring 15 1s preferably in the nature of a piece of pencil or the like,

the present invention is designed as greatly springy sheet metal having one end rigidly fastened as at 18 to the inner end f the blade 9, but as shown in Fig. 7 the spring may be of bow form as at 15 with its ends resting upon the blade 9 and with the pin 10 extending through the central portion of the spring which is normally outwardly bowed for moving the enlarged portion 16 of the push button 'l l into the enlarged portion of the slot 11, the push button 14 being also provided with a reduced part as at 17 outwardly of the portion 16'. The portion of the clip 6 between the guide channels 13 together with said guide channels form corrugations in the piece of sheet metal from which the clip is formed which tend to strengthen the device and insure a durab e article as will be readily seen.

From the foregoing description, it is believed that the construction and operation as well as the advantages of the present invention will be readily understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art,

What is claimed as new is A device of the class described comprising a member having a central longitudinal elongated slot, a blade slidably guided for longitudinal movement in said member, a releasable catch carried by and movable with the blade within said slot and engageable within the enlarged portion of said slot to retain the blade retracted within said member and to retain said blade extended beyond one end of said member, said releasable catch comprising a spring pressed member normally urged away from looking position, said spring pressed member comprising a push button having a reduced portion of slightly less diameter than the Width of the major portion of said slot and an inner enlarged portion of greater diameter than the width of the major portion of said slot, the slot in said member being the blade toward v provided with enlarged openings communi- I cating with the ends of said slot and of a diameter slightly greater than the diameter of the enlarged portion of the push button, and alateral pin rigidly fixed to said blade and projecting outwardly through said slot, said push button being slidably mounted upon said pin.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature;

FRAN K DE LUCA. 

